Dennis Flaherty

NW Institute of Vedic Sciences
425.778.6487

Where the astrology of the East meets the West

Star Trends / Current Events

Fall 2009 and Winter 2010

The effects of astro-economic-influenza still continue to grab the headlines. In the first half of 2009,
the economy was shedding close to half a million jobs a month. In recent months that number has been halved
and there are those who are saying that the recession is over, but they are not so sure what the recovery will
look like. Let us see what the stars have to say about these speculative reports.

This July featured the longest total eclipse of the century. Its path of totality fell across northern
India and China where the eclipsed Sun plunged many cities into complete darkness for several minutes. A little
over a week later the planet of prosperity, Jupiter, returned to its constellation of debilitation, where it will
remain in a weakened state until the last 10 days of December. These are not positive astrological signatures
for the end of the current economic difficulties.

The last time we had these signatures of a total solar eclipse with Jupiter debilitated was 12 years ago in
1997. The total solar eclipse of that year fell in totality across Thailand. In July of that year Thai economy
imploded with a collapsed currency, and the resulting economic chaos spread in a very short time to the rest of
Asia. Trillions of dollars in investments were lost in the Asian bubble until the IMF engineered a rescue plan.
The patterns seem eerily familiar this fall, except this time the total solar eclipse suggests the economic bubble
appears to be in India and China, where ironically many economists are looking at to lead us out of the current
world recession.

Further, like then, Jupiter the planet of prosperity is debilitated, but to make matters more
challenging, over half the planets will join Jupiter in debilitation in the month of October. Debilitated planets
are in weakened states and cannot perform significantly. This does not auger well for the green shoots of any kind
of economic recovery. Think about what an economic recovery would entail. It would mean that the economy would
start hiring, rather than the supposed uplifting news that it is only shedding a quarter of a million jobs a month.
It would mean oversight and regulation on Wall Street. The kind of examination that would prevent the free gambling
mentality of leverage that brought last year's economic woes.

Noted economists Paul Krugman and Joseph Stiglitz
perceive very little regulation and reform on Wall Street. Witness Wall Streetís Goldman-Sachs recent
performance. They took $10 billion in bailout money last year and turned out a record $3.3 billion dollar profit
doing exactly what they did last year. They gambled by borrowing $28 against every dollar they had. This
time they won, but only by gambling $245 million a day, and if they lost like last year, they would go right back
to Washington for another bailout! Nice work if you can get it. Where does the line start for this kind of work?
The more important question is: Where is the oversight and financial regulation that reasonable economists
have demanded to prevent a similar economic melt-down? The oversight has never happened and we are not out of the
financial woods yet. We are rather walking right on the edge, and can be plunged into its darkness by a sudden step
in the wrong direction.

In the Fall of 2009, there are many rapid planetary changes coming. Saturn will move into the analytical
constellation of Virgo, which can be great for assessment and oversight, if the powers-that-be are willing.
Jupiter will begin the final leg of his debilitation in Capricorn. No prosperity there. Mars, the planet of energy
and enthusiasm, will also go to his constellation of debilitation in the first week of October, and will not leave
the constellation of Cancer until the end of May of 2010. Ouch!
No enthusiasm, no energy there. The shadow planets, Rahu and Ketu, will change constellations the first week of November. With so many planets weakened and changing
constellations in October and November, it looks like a time of rapid change and destabilization. Lest we forget,
when Mars was debilitated in the summer of 2008, speculators drove the price of a barrel of oil to over $150, creating
rapid change and destabilization in the economy, with the collapse of Wall Street coming in short order. So donít
count on this October and November to be tranquil. Further, Marsí debilitation in October will be with the shadow
planet Ketu, opposite Jupiter with Rahu. This astrological combination is often present at the start of wars,
conflicts, and epidemics. It was the astrological signature present during the attacks of 9/11/2001.

Many people are angered by what they fail to understand, and so they are easily led into conflict during times
such as these. Sure, Goldman Sacks is back in the black, but most peoplesí jobs are still on the line. Credit is
tight and getting tighter, resulting in almost everyone reducing spending. With 70% of the economy moving forward
on consumer spending, please tell me what you see moving forward? The only thing I see moving forward is peopleís
frustration and anger, and that has the potential to boil over with the Mars/Ketu combination in October and November.
The threat of war, another pandemic, another financial scandal could be the tipping point for many frustrated, angry
people. For every person out there brain-storming for solutions, you will see double that number of people
ďblame-storming.Ē Fueled by hate-talk radio, they will be well armed with their talking points looking for blame.
You will see a lot of blame-storming in the Fall, and if President Obama is not careful and deliberate in his actions,
he and those he has appointed may become the focus of this blame and hatred with disturbing scenarios we do not even
want to imagine. There will be a lot of angry hornets during these dog days, weeks and months. Please donít incite
them and enter into the fray.

Gratefully, Jupiter will leave his debilitation and come into the constellation of Aquarius by the 20th of
December, and once we get past the lunar eclipse of December 31st, Jupiter will build momentum into the New Year.
This will be the strongest position Jupiter has had in a year to review the wreckage of the financial crises of
2008-2009. In hindsight, it is my hope that we will understand what went wrong, and take appropriate action. But for
now, do not for a moment believe the storm has passed. The current calm you are seeing is merely the eye of this
historic storm passing over us all.